Improvement in dressing flax and hemp



UNITED STATES PATENT @EETCEq 'Lewis s. oHioHEsrEn, OE BROOKLYN, maw YORK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 10,772, dated April l1, 1854.

To all whom it may concern/:

Be it known that I, Lnwrs S. Gnronnsrnn, of Brooklyn, Kings county, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Beating and Hatchel.- ing Flax or Hemp, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference the figures. i

The object of my invention is the production of a machine which will perform in succession .and at one continued operation the actions of beating out the broken woody particles, and then scutching to clean out the tow; and for this purpose I employ two sets of blades or beaters, each set secured to apl propriate heads on a shaft, and the two shafts placed parallel to each other; and the first part of my invention consists in making the blades or beaters of a spiral form from end to end, and secured to the heads,so that the two sets shall rotate with equal velocities, but in Opposite directions, and strike the bers alter-` nately on opposite sides, the spiral form causing the edges of the blades at one end-the lower or feeding end-to strike nearly at right angles to the length of fibers, to beat out the woody particles, and with an intensity as great as the nature of the operation will admit of, and as the flax or hemp isdrawn toward the other end, gradually changing the direction of the blows and increasing them, but easily, until they perform the scutching operation by striking nearly in the direction ofthe length of the fibers, to straighten them and clean out the tow, the peripherydescribed by every point of' the outer edge of any one of the beaters describing the surface of a cone having its apex in the direction of the feeding end 5 and the second part of my invention consists in inclosing the beaters by a casing witha long slot in front, and parallel with the shaft and midway between the two, to admit of feeding in the flax or hemp and gradually drawing it from the beating to the seutching end, and the rear part provided with a discharge-spout at the feeding or beat ing end,the form of the casing, in combination with the spiral form of the blades., having the effect to induce va current of air from the scutching end toward the discharge-spout at the beating end, so that as thegflax orl hemp is drawn toward the scutching end and against the current of air the dirt, woody particles, and other foreign mattei' are blown out and discharged through the said spout.

In the accompaning drawings, a represents the frame, and b b two parallel shafts mounted on suitable bearings in the front inclined `standards of the frame. These shafts are geared together by two cog-wheels, c c, one on each shaft, so that they shall turn in opposite directions, but with equal velocities, one of the shafts receiving motion in any suitable manner from some rst` move'r. Vithin the frame each shaft is provided with two heads, d d, and to these heads are appropriately secured the blades, beaters, or scutchers e, made usually of wood and in a spiral shape, with the beating or soutching edges placed diago,

nally, as represented in the drawings. The end f of the machine is called the ,feeding end,77 for the reason that the bunches of broken flax or hemp are introduced at that end, and are v gradually moved by the operator toward the other end. At'the feeding end the edges of `the beaters are rounded,as at Fig. 2, and from that end toward the other end gradually flared v By reaor flattened and brought to an edge. son of the twist given to the blades or beaters, and their inclination when the flax or hemp is introduced between them at the feeding end, they strike the fibers nearly at` right angles and alternately on opposite sides, and as the bunch is moved along toward the other end the direction of the blow graduallychanges until at or near the opposite or finishing end the blades or scutchers strike the fibers nearly in the direction of their length an d with greater force than when first introduced. The under surface of the blades at the feeding or beating end is made flat, or nearly so, (see lllig. 2,) and then gradually assumes a curved form, (see Fi g. 3,) so .that during the scutching operation the ends of the iiax will fly over and lay up close to this curved face, and thus enable the scutchers to act with a stronger f'orce on the flax to clean it. the outer surfaceof the scutchers are provided with rows of short bristles g, for the purpose Toward the finishing end of cleaning the flax and removing the particles of foreign matter. In front there is a metal (or other) casing, 71 which incloses the beaters or scutchers, and which is formed with a longitudinal slot, i, in which the flax or hemp 'held by the attendant can be moved from the `feeding end toward the other-the scutching or delivery end; and at the back the beaters are cased in by a casing, j, with a trough-like gutter, 7c, and a discharge-spout, Z, at the back of the feeding end, for thel discharge of the broken fragments of wood, tow, and other foreign matter which is beaten out of the fibers.

The machine being set in motion by any suitable power, the attendant takes a bunch of 'laX or hemp after it has been properly broken, and, holding it with the hand by the butt-end, introduces it through the feedingslot i at the feeding end ofthe machine. As it enters, it is alternately struck on opposite sides by the blades Z, and nearly at right angles, which has the effect to beat outthe loose and broken fragments of wood, Src., vand as this operation is going on the bunch is gradually drawn toward the opposite end of the machine, the blades all the time acting upon it, and by reason of the twist in the blades gradually changing the direction of the blows given alternately on opposite sides, until toward the end they strike nearly in the direction ofthe length of the fibers, but with greater force than at first, to perform what is called the scutching operation, to separate the tow and other impurities which are carried down by the current of air induced by the rotation and spiral form of the blades toward the feeding-in end, and out through the spout. The current of air thus induced also acts upon the fibers as the bunch is gradually drawn from one end toward the other, and tends to separate and discharge the impurities. ward the end of the operation the fibers are brushed and drawn out smooth and cleansed by the bristles on the outer face of the ends of the blades. In this way I am enabled to combine in one machine and at one operation the beating action to knock out the woody particles,and the scutching action to separate the tow and straighten out and thoroughly clean the fibers. v

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of the series of twisted or spiral and conical-shaped blades on the two rotating stocks, substantially as specified,

which, by reason of the twist andconical shape, perform a beating action onl the fibers at one end, and gradually change until they perform a scutching action at the other end, as set forth.

2. In combination with the rotating twisted and conical-shaped blades, the casing which surrounds them,with the discharge-pipe at one Tol 

